Life Of Piand Bravewere the big winners in the feature film categories tonight, each taking four awards at the 11th Annual VES Awards and HBO’s Game Of Thrones led the TV honors with four nods. Life Of Pi took the top feature award for Outstanding Visual Effects in a Visual Effects-Driven Feature Motion Picture. It also won Outstanding Compositing in a Feature Motion Picture, Outstanding Animated Character in a Live Action Feature Motion Picture and Outstanding FX and Simulation Animation in a Live Action Feature Motion Picture. Brave’s four wins included Outstanding Animation in an Animated Feature Motion Picture. In features, The Avengers also took two awards, and The Impossible and The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey nabbed one each. In the TV contingent, Game Of Thrones led the way with four including Outstanding Visual Effects in a Broadcast Program and HBO’s Boardwalk Empire also took one award.

Life Of Pi director Ang Lee, nominated for two Oscars, received the VES Visionary award, given to an individual “who has uniquely and consistently employed the art and science of visual effects to foster imagination and ignite future discoveries by way of artistry, invention and groundbreaking work”. In his acceptance speech, Lee said “This is not visual effects, it’s visual art”. Paying tribute to the effects industry, Lee said “they are the expression of our heart, and for that I salute you”. Five-time Academy Award winning special effects cinematographer Richard Edlund, notable for his contributions to the original Star Wars trilogy, Raiders Of The Lost Ark and Ghostbusters, was honored with a lifetime achievement award. The complete list follows:

Harrison Ford came out to a partial standing ovation to present the award. In a rambling, relaxed but no less affectionate for it speech, Ford recalled his long friendship with Edlund. “It’s called a lifetime achievement award, but,” he said, “I think all of you know Richard has at least another lifetime of achievement and innovation in him”. In his trademark drawl, Ford related how Edlund created many innovations, including the Millenium Falcon, “my ride”, he quipped.

Edlund then took the stage to a full standing ovation, and first thanked Ford “for becoming the star of Star Wars; I don’t know if he expected it.”

Tempest Bledsoe, who presented the Call of Duty award, talked about her voice acting in ParaNorman and joked how she likes to imagine “what if I had given up acting? What if I had gone into law enforcement? What if I had shaved off all my hair and gained 300 pounds? Thanks to you guys I get to find out”.

The audience went nuts every time Life Of Pi was mentioned in a category, and this was perhaps the loudest response.

Visionary Award Ang Lee

Once again the crowd went crazy at a glimpse of Life Of Pi when it showed during a highlight reel of Ang Lee’s films.

Lee first paid tribute to award presenter Dennis Muren for their long time working together, and told a story about their time together on The Hulk. Lee spent most of his time helping with visual effects. “It’s tedious work” he said to laughter. “As I got into it I got more and more angry”.

“I realize now it’s not visual effects, it’s visual arts,” he said. Joking, he said about actors that “I realize they have souls but they also have opinions.”

After The Hulk, he said he had to take a break from heavy visual effects work. “I took dramas” he said, quipping “like Brokeback Mountain, two gay cowboys” to much laughter.

He then paid tribute to the team on Life Of Pi and, by this point, the many VES awards it had already won.

He mentioned tough times the effects industry is facing, another possible veiled reference to Rhythm and Hues. He reiterated “This is not visual effects, it’s visual art” paying tribute to the effects industry. He concluded saying about their work, “they are the expression of our heart, and for that I salute you”.